Safety ring clamp for tires



July 12, 1949. MONHEIT SAFETY RING CLAMP FOR TIRES Filed June 25, 1947 y 2, 1949. MONHE|T 2,476,209

SAFETY RING CLAMP FOR TIRES Filed June 23, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mama I y. Z6

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII L uis 1710222262? Patented July 12 1949 STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a safety clamp for the locking ring of large vehicle tires, and is an improvement over the clamp embodied in my copending application Serial No. 722,436, now abandoned, filed January 16, 1947 for Safety ring lock clamp for tires.

An object of this invention is to provide a rin clamp for firmly holding the locking rings on both sides of large tires during the initial inflation of the tires so that the lock ring will not be forcibly knocked from the rim, as is the case where the ring is not accurately positioned on the rim. It will be understood that with large tires, such as truck tires, the rim has a very small retaining bead in order that the casing may be readily applied on or removed from the rim, and the lock ring must properly engage the rim before infiation of the tire, otherwise the tire will blow out laterally and displace the ring with sufficient force to injure an attendant standing close to the tire.

With a clamp constructed according to this invention, two or more clamps may be secured.

to the wheel, being extended through the openings in the disk wheel. In the event during the inflation of the tire it should be noted that the lock ring is not accurately positioned, the ring may be hammered or otherwise forced into proper position, and the clamps will retain the rin in its applied position so that the tire may be fully inflated without danger of the ring being blown out and the tire exploding. After the tire has been inflated to the desired pressure the lock ring will be held in position by the tire pressure so that the clamps can then be removed.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a transverse section through a tire and wheel having a ring clamping means bounded thereon according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a detailed front elevation on one of the ring clamps.

Figure 3 is a detailed side elevation partly in section, showing the clamp in applied position.

Figure 4 is a top plan of the clamp.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates generally a tire including an outer casing II and an inner tube l2. The casing and tube are mounted on a rim generally designated as [4 carried by a disc wheel l3. The disc wheel I3 is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings l5 through which the clamping devices to be hereinafter described are adapted to be extended. The rim l4 includes a substantially cylindrical body l6 which is formed on the opposite edges thereof with a bead ll. In the present instance the bead I1 is shown slightly exaggerated whereas in practice this bead is quite small so that the casing II can be slid onto the rim and removed therefrom quite readily when the inner tube is deflated. The casing II is adapted to be retained or locked onto the rim M by means of a pair of split locking rings [8 and These locking rings I8 and I9 are adapted on the inner circle thereof to engage the beads ll carried by the rim I4, and when the inner tube I2 is being inflated and after it has been fully inhated the locking rings will be under pressure and will thereby be firmly locked to the beads ll.

In order to provide a means whereby the looking rings I8 and I9 will be firmly held in position the initial inflating of the tire, I have provided at least a pair of clamping devices generally designated as 20 and 2|. Where two of these clamping devices are used they are diametrically disposed, but it will be understood that two or more of these devices may be used where considered advisable.

These clamping devices are of like construction and each includes a fixed jaw generally designated as 22 which is formed of base plate 23, an inclined jaw member 24 offset from the inner side of the base member 23 and terminating at its outer end in a hook 25 which is engageable over the outer edge of the ring I9. The base plate 23 has fixed thereto a threaded shaft 26 extending at right angles from the plate 23, and a movable jaw generally designated as 21 loosely engages the threaded shaft 26 and is disposed in confronting position with respect to the fixed jaw 22. The inner end of jaw member 24 is fixed as by welding to the shaft 26. The movable jaw 21 includes a supporting or guiding sleeve 28 which loosely engages about the thread shaft 26 and the sleeve 28 has extending radially therefrom a jaw member 29.

The jaw member 29 is formed on the inner edge thereof with an offset ring engaging part 30 disposed adjacent the outer end of the jaw member 29, and the jaw member 29 is also formed with a notch or recess 3| adjacent its outer end within which the flared outer edge of the ring [8 is adapted to engage. The inner surface of the jaw member 29 is formed with a pair of stepped portions 32 and 33, so that the inner edge of the jaw member 29 will clear the edge of the rim M in order that the desired pressure may be applied by the outer jaw portion 30 onto the outer side of the ring 18. A nut 34 is threaded onto the shaft 26 and a spring 35 about shaft 26 is interposed between nut 34 and sleeve 28 so that the desired pressure may be applied to the movable jaw 21 for resiliently holding this jaw and the fixed jaw 22 in clamping position. A handle 36 of L-shape is fixed to nut 34 and has its outer side 31 extending upwardly and parallel with shaft "26.

In the use and operation of these clamping devices, the fixed jaw 22 is initially inserted through the opening or space in the disc l3 and extends to the opposite side of the rim. The hook 25 is engaged over the outer edge of the ring [9, with the ring seated in the angle formed between the hook 25 and the jaw member 24. The shaft 26 will extend through opening [5, as shown in Fi ure 1, whereupon the movable jaw 21 maybe mounted on the shaft 26 and moved inwardly until the outer edge of the ring 18 is seated in the notch 3|. The ring engaging portion 3 of .the jaw member 29 will engagethe concave outer surface .of the ring [8 adjacent the outer edge thereof.

The nut 34 is then threaded inwardly to apply the desired pressure onto the rings I8 and i9. After two or more of these clamping devices have been applied to the tire, the tire may be inflated, and if during the inflating operation it is found that either ring is not properly seated on its bead ll, the clamping jaws will hold the ring against forcible outward movements. If the ring is not properly seated on the bead l1 during the inflation of the tire, the ring can be seated by hammering or applying desired pressure to the ring in addition to the pressure applied to the ring by the clamping devices. When the tire has been fully inflated the locking rings will be under pressure from the tire and will tightlygrip the beads I! carried by the rim.

With a clamping means as hereinbefore .described the attendant inflating a large tire, such as a truck tire or the like, can safely inflate the tire to the desired pressure, and will not be subject to injury as is the case .where no clamping devices are used and the locking rings are forced 'jaw'beingsuches to provide'for contact of the engaging surface thereof with an edge of the rim and ring, a threaded shaft fixed to said jaw and base and-extending right angularly from the latter, said base being relatively long and wide to thereby support said shaft in a vertical position =on a plane surface, a movable jaw including a tubular inner portion loosely engaging said shaft, saidmovable jaw member being formed with an offset convex ring engaging part adjacent the outer end thereof forseating in the concave .outer side .of the-ring, andwithering-retaining hook atthe outer end thereof coastin with said oiTset part 'tolock said movable jaw relative to the ring, a .pressure'applying 'nut threaded on said shaft, and a spring interposed'zbetween said nut and said tubular inner portion.

LQUISJMONHEIT.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenices are of I record =in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 947,811 Glidden 1Feb. 1,1910 1,201,778 Weber Oct. -1'I, 1916 1,349,225 Rosenblum Aug. 10, 1920 1,388,866 Lambert Aug-30, 1 921 1,404,275 Cowles l .Jan.':24, 1922 1,435,624 Schwab Nov. 14,1922 1,439,381 Safstrom Dec. 19,1922 

